Inside Cirque du Soleil: Dralion (+ FREE Tickets!)

Cirque du Soleil is bringing Dralion here to The Arena at Gwinnett Center in less than a week and I want to take a moment to bring you behind the scenes of the show and introduce you to the stars! What's even better? At the end of the blog, you will have the opportunity to win two tickets to one of the shows! Pay close attention so you can answer the trivia question and win our ticket giveaway.

So, I know some of you might be wondering what exactly a Dralion actually is and what things you need to know about the show - well, here are the basics:

• The show premiered in 1999 and has been seen by over 7 million people worldwide
• This is the first time it has moved from the usual big top location to arenas
• How did they get the name? The name comes from two emblematic creatures: the dragon, symbolizing the East, and the lion, symbolizing the West
• There are four main elements in the show that take on human form and are each represented by a certain color: air (blue), water (green), fire (red) and earth (ochre)
• The show features 50 international acrobats, gymnasts, musicians and singers

Meet the Characters:

Remember how I mentioned that the four main natural elements come to life in human form? Well Azala is the goddess of Air and her job is the guardian of the sun and immortality. You will find her floating through space in many shades of blue.

Gaya is the goddess of Earth and possesses human warmth (represented by fire) and the cool, fresh vitality of life (represented by water). You can recognize her through her ochre, or earthlike colored, attire.

The goddess of Water is represented by the color green and is called Oceane. She is the queen of movement and through the art of dance can control the movement of the oceans.

The character you've seen in our Facebook profile picture is Yao, the guide to the fiery demons (represented by red). As you might suspect, he controls the rhythm of the show and symbolizes both good and evil.

If you noticed, those costumes are incredibly elaborate. Can you imagine being in the wardrobe department? The team includes 4 permanent touring staff and 3 local wardrobe employees in each city. Talk about a big job! Over 16,000 feet of fabric was used to create the costumes and the fabrics come from regions all over the world. The costume designers spent over three months to create the original costumes and are continuosly creating new ones.

Ok, ok...now for the moment you've really been waiting for. How do you win those tickets? Easy. Read the trivia question below and leave a comment on this blog post, a comment on our Facebook status about the contest (http://ow.ly/6dyfk), or tag us @GwinnettArena on Twitter with the answer. Every name will be entered into a random drawing on Tuesday, August 30th.

Question: Where does the name "Dralion" come from?

All entries MUST be submitted by Tuesday, August 30th at 12:00 noon EST to be entered into the drawing.  Only one entry per person.

Good luck!!

Keith Urban "Gets Closer"

If Keith Urban’s two-night stop here at The Arena at Gwinnett Center last Thursday and Friday didn’t impress you, then I’m not exactly sure what will.  Whether it was his superb guitar skills or his down-to-earth attitude, this show was delivered in top-notch fashion.  When he titled his tour “Get Closer,” he definitely wasn’t kidding!  As Keith took the stage singing “Put You in a Song,” fans got their first clue that they were about to experience something a little different than your typical concert.  The stage setup was unlike any other I’ve seen, including tracking resembling a roller coaster ride at Six Flags and a stage with a rounded edge and a ramp descending down into the crowd – no barriers separating Keith from the thousands of you that packed the venue to see him sing his massive catalogue of hits.  But he took it even further by making his way out into the screaming crowd not once, but twice, giving all fans an up-close and personal view of his cover-worthy face and even giving away his guitar to one lucky fan!  In case that wasn’t enough fan interaction, later on in the show he decided to turn The Arena at Gwinnett Center into a karaoke party, inviting three fans up on stage to battle it out in a little friendly competition for a chance to sing “Kiss a Girl” with the Aussie himself.  This proved to be a highly entertaining (and my personal favorite) part of the show.

As an observer, I was impressed how genuine and personable Keith appeared.  Another one of my favorite parts of the show happened Thursday night with Steve and Rhonda from North Carolina.  Clever Steve made a bet with his wife Rhonda that if he could get her a kiss from Keith Urban he would be allowed to get a new banjo.  Keith made dreams come true for both by inviting them onstage for a kiss and a picture – well actually, no kisses for Steve, just Rhonda (sorry, Steve…you only cared about the banjo anyways, right?).

It was very apparent that his genuine attitude, Aussie accent, killer guitar skills and easy-on-the-eyes appearance have earned him many adoring fans.  The crowd couldn’t have had a better time, singing every word of every song at the top of their lungs and dancing the night away to the spectacular light show that accompanied each song of his two-plus hour set.

Whether this was your first experience seeing Keith Urban live, like me, or you are a die-hard fan who has seen him many times, I don’t know if there is any way you could have left disappointed.  Keith Urban delivered two energetic, give-it-all-he’s-got, fan-centered performances solidified by his sweat-drenched hair and piles of confetti raining down from the ceiling after his final number.  Thanks for the rocking performances, Keith!